Logan Circle in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

It Takes a Village

A Fitting Tribute

—Logan Circle Heritage Trail —

By Allen C. Browne, December 29, 2014

1. It Takes a Village Marker

Inscription.

It Takes a Village. A Fitting Tribute—. After the Civil Disturbances following the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, 14th Street appeared largely abandoned by day. By night, however, residents witnessed scenes of the “world's oldest profession,” Since the 1950s, when prostitution migrated here from downtown DC, men in cars from around the region seeking women caused traffic jams. This trade flourished because prostitutes were often bailed out of jail within hours and returned to the streets. In addition three police districts intersected at 14th and L Streets, so instead of making arrests, officers often simply shooed prostitutes and their customers into someone else's district. “You don't want your crime rate to go up,” one officer told a reporter in 1989, “so you make them go somewhere else.” On one notable summer night that year, a police sergeant trying to send them “somewhere else” marched 24 women all the way to the 14th Street Bridge. Undaunted, the women returned in cabs. . . Area residents finally had had enough. Leading the battle was the Logan Circle Community Association. The association formed shortly after the neighborhood received its 1972 listing on the National Register of Historic Places. To fight prostitution, LCCA members photographed customers, affixed day-glo stickers to their cars,and took brothel owners to court. With homebuyer subsidies and low-interest loans, some LCCA members purchased and rehabilitated houses, including some long used as brothels. With LCCA help, stronger penalties, and the emergence of the Internet as a marketplace, the trade began to subside in the early 1990s. . . In addition to its anti-crime work, LCCA helped beautify Logan Circle and worked to expand the historic district. . . Reverse: . The Logan Circle Neighborhood began with city boosters' dreams of greatness. The troops, cattle pens, and hubbub of the Civil War (1861-1865) had nearly ruined Washington, and when the fighting ended, Congress threatened to move the nation's capital elsewhere. So city leaders raced to repair and modernize the city. As paved streets, waster and gas lines, street lights, and sewers reached undeveloped areas, wealthy whites followed. Mansions soon sprang up around an elegant park where Vermont and Rhode Island Avenues met. The circle was named Iowa Circle, thanks to Iowa Senator William Boyd Allison. In 1901 a statue of Civil War General (and later Senator) John A. Logan, a founder of Memorial Day, replaced the park's central fountain. The circle took his name in 1930. The title of this Heritage Trail comes from General Logan's argument that Memorial Day would serve as "a fitting tribute to the memory of [the nation's] slain defenders." . . As the city grew beyond Logan Circle, affluent African Americans gradually replaced whites here. Most of them moved on during World War II, and their mansions were divided into rooming houses to meet a wartime housing shortage. By the 1960s, with suburban Maryland and Virginia drawing investment, much of the neighborhood had decayed. When civil disturbances erupted after the 1968 assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it hit bottom. Ten years later, however, long-time residents, newcomers, and new city programs spurred revival. A Fitting Tribute: Logan Circle Heritage Trail takes you through the neighborhood's lofty and low times to introduce the array of individuals who shaped its modern vitality. . This historical marker was erected in 2012 by Cultural Tourism DC. It is in Logan Circle in Washington District of Columbia

After the Civil Disturbances following the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, 14th Street appeared largely abandoned by day. By night, however, residents witnessed scenes of the “world's oldest profession,” Since the 1950s, when prostitution migrated here from downtown DC, men in cars from around the region seeking women caused traffic jams. This trade flourished because prostitutes were often bailed out of jail within hours and returned to the streets. In addition three police districts intersected at 14th and L Streets, so instead of making arrests, officers often simply shooed prostitutes and their customers into someone else's district. “You don't want your crime rate to go up,” one officer told a reporter in 1989, “so you make them go somewhere else.” On one notable summer night that year, a police sergeant trying to send them “somewhere else” marched 24 women all the way to the 14th Street Bridge. Undaunted, the women returned in cabs.

Area residents finally had had enough. Leading the battle was the Logan Circle Community Association. The association

By Devry Becker Jones, December 2, 2017

2. It Takes a Village Marker

formed shortly after the neighborhood received its 1972 listing on the National Register of Historic Places. To fight prostitution, LCCA members photographed customers, affixed day-glo stickers to their cars,and took brothel owners to court. With homebuyer subsidies and low-interest loans, some LCCA members purchased and rehabilitated houses, including some long used as brothels. With LCCA help, stronger penalties, and the emergence of the Internet as a marketplace, the trade began to subside in the early 1990s.

In addition to its anti-crime work, LCCA helped beautify Logan Circle and worked to expand the historic district.

Reverse:The Logan Circle Neighborhood began with city boosters' dreams of greatness. The troops, cattle pens, and hubbub of the Civil War (1861-1865) had nearly ruined Washington, and when the fighting ended, Congress threatened to move the nation's capital elsewhere. So city leaders raced to repair and modernize the city. As paved streets, waster and gas lines, street lights, and sewers reached undeveloped areas, wealthy whites followed. Mansions soon sprang up around an elegant park where Vermont and Rhode Island Avenues met. The circle was named Iowa Circle, thanks to Iowa Senator William Boyd Allison. In 1901 a statue of Civil War General (and later Senator) John A. Logan, a founder of Memorial Day, replaced the park's

By Allen C. Browne, December 29, 2014

3. It Takes a Village Marker

central fountain. The circle took his name in 1930. The title of this Heritage Trail comes from General Logan's argument that Memorial Day would serve as "a fitting tribute to the memory of [the nation's] slain defenders."

As the city grew beyond Logan Circle, affluent African Americans gradually replaced whites here. Most of them moved on during World War II, and their mansions were divided into rooming houses to meet a wartime housing shortage. By the 1960s, with suburban Maryland and Virginia drawing investment, much of the neighborhood had decayed. When civil disturbances erupted after the 1968 assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it hit bottom. Ten years later, however, long-time residents, newcomers, and new city programs spurred revival. A Fitting Tribute: Logan Circle Heritage Trail takes you through the neighborhood's lofty and low times to introduce the array of individuals who shaped its modern vitality.

Location. 38° 54.529′ N, 77° 1.904′ W. Marker is in Logan Circle, District of Columbia, in Washington. Marker is at the intersection

By Allen C. Browne, December 29, 2014

4. It Takes a Village Marker

of 14th Street Northwest and Rhode Island Avenue Northwest when traveling south on 14th Street Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1345 14th Street Northwest, Washington DC 20005, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 20, 2019. This page originally submitted on January 4, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 412 times since then and 10 times this year. Last updated on March 8, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos:1. submitted on January 4, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 2. submitted on December 2, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. submitted on January 4, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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